Apparatus for conditioning tobacco



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill 5,7701? vfiasi zuz olz R. D. TOUTON APPARATUS FORCONDITIONING TOBACCO Filed Jan. 4, 1944 April 1, 1947.

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April 1, 1947. R. D. TOUTON APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING TOBACCO FiledJan. 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V Patented Apr. 1, 1947 v. U i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,418,281 APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING TOBACCORush D-. Touton, Wynnewood, Pa., assignor to Wurton Machine Company,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 4,1944, Serial No. 516,901

Claims. (01. 131-136) 2 This invention relates to an improvement inreaches respectively lie together, the lower apparatus for use in thetreatment of tobacco reaches of chains 8, 8 being weighted down on forits conditioning or otherwise. the upper reaches of chains 2, 2 by theweight In general, this invention relates to an im- ,of rods 8, 9,which, as described above, are conprovement in apparatus of the typehaving con- 5 nected to and extend between chains 8', 8, so that veyormeans extending generally in a plane, the butts l3 of the hands oftobacco 6 may be which desirably may be a horizontal plane, and heldbetween the as shown in Figure 3, and so adapted or provided with meansfor the support that chains 8, 8 will move with the driven chains ofhands of tobaczo from their butts and having 2, 2, e their leaf portionsfree and extending laterally 10 Extending between chains 8, 8, belowrods v9, 9,

. of the conveyor, the conveyor means being adaptand secured to thechains throughout their.

ed to carry the hands of tobacco withrespect to length is a guard I 4 ofsuitable material, which Jets or blasts of conditioned gas. may be, forexample, a woven or netted material,

More particularly, this invention contemplates or other foraminousmaterial through which air the provision of means in association withthe will freely pass andwhich desirably will be a conveyor means, whichwill act, when the tomaterial such as'copper screen, though th mabaccois subjected variously to blasts or Jets of terial need not necessarilybe such as to pass air. air, to hold or support the free leafportions toAt the front or charging end of the machine, the end that injury to themwill be avoided and indicated by A, the upper reaches of the chains thatthey may be treated moreeffectively than 2, 2 extend beyond the lowerreaches of the heretofore. chains 8, 8. Between the chains 2, 2 and on aHaving now indicated .in a general way the level with their upperreaches, is positioned an nature and purpose ofthls invention, I willproendless conveyor belt l5, which passes around,

ceed to a detailed description of a preferred empulleys l8, it, one ofwhich is mounted on shaft bodiment thereof with reference to the accon4, so that the belt is driven with the chains 2, 2

panying drawings, in which: and at the same speed.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of At the discharge end of theapparatus, indian apparatus embodying this invention. cated by B, aconveyor belt I1 is positioned be- Figure 2 is a plan view on lines 22,Figure 1. tween the chains 2, 2. The conveyor ll passes Figure 3 is across-sectional view of the apover a pulley ill on shaft 4 andover idlepulleys paratus shown in Figur 1. I 9, i9, arranged so that it willextend from In the several views 2, 2 indicate a pair of endsprockets 3,about which chains 2, 2 pass, downless chains passing over spaced pairsof sprockwardly at a small angle to chains 2, 2, forming ets 3, 3,mounted on-shafts 4, 4, which are supa reach 28 and then at a relativelylarge angle ported in any suitable manner and one of which to chains 2,2 forming a further reach 2|.

is adapted to be driven, from any suitable prime On opposite sides ofand below the conveyor mover, through a pulley 5. formed bythe chains 2,2 and 8, 8 are longitudi- The chains 2,2 are spaced apart a distancenally arranged ducts 22, 22 adapted to receive somewhat greater'thantwice the length of the conditioned gas, as air, fro any suitable sourceleaf portions of hands of tobacco 6, which it is 40 through inlets 23,23. The ducts 22,22 are pro' intended shall be handled by the conveyor,as vided with nozzles 24, 24, arranged for-the disshown in Figure 2.charge of Jets or blasts of conditioned gas. The

The upper reaches of the chains 2, 2 are tight, nozzles are directedfrom belowangularly with ,while the lower reaches are slack andsupported respect to the conveyor. and as between the ducts by idlers l,l. a are in staggered relation. Jets or blasts of air A second pair ofendless chains 8, connected issuing from the nozzles 24, 24 are adaptedto by wei hted r s a s ov paced pai o strike against the leaf portionsof hands of tosprockets I8, I 0, mounted on shafts l I, II, suitlbacco 8on th conveyor:

ably supported so that the lower' reaches of In operation a case ofhands of tobacco 25 is chains 8, 8 will overlie the upper reaches ;ofthe 0 positioned, at the charging end A of the apparachains 2, 2,throughout a distance betweentheir tus, adjacent the end of conveyorbelt l5. Opends, as shown in Figure 1. The upper reaches erators at thestations 28, 28 lift the hands 6 of chains 8, 8, which are slack, aresupported by froni the case and place them on the belt: l5 opidlers l2,l2. The links of the chains 2, 2 and positely with their butts on thechains 2, 2. The 8, 8 are out of line and their upper and lower 68 beltl5 advances the hands until their butts enter conveyor.

' various modifications without departure from the scope of the ap thenip between the upper reaches oi chains 2, 2 and e lower reaches ofchains 8, 8 are ripped between the reaches 02 the chains. The hands arecarried by the chains into and out of Jets or blasts of air issuing fromnozzles and they 1 the support between 24, 24, which strike the leafportions of the hands. It will dented in the butts as shown at 21,Figure 3.

When a jet or blast of air from a nozzle 24 Q strikes theleaf portion ora hand, the guard It acts, as is'shown in Figure 3. to prevent theleaves from injury by being blown upwardly between the chains or, ii theleaves be sufliciently moist, by being blown up and over the chains.Further,

under the influence of the jets or blasts oi air the leaf portions ofthe hands will be held against the guard l4 and treating air willpenetrate into the leaves and, if the guard be ioraminous, a portion ofthe air will be enabled to pass through the leaves. as indicated. byarrows a, Figure 3,?

while, since the air strikes the leaf portions at an angle, a portion ofthe air will be deflected and will strike the leaf portions oppositehands, as indicated by the arrows 1/, Figure 3.

Thus, it will be observed that the provision oi the guard l4 serves thepurpose of preventing in- Jury to the tobacco leaves and of enablingmore effective use of treating air by enabling it in part to penetratethe leaves of a hand in its path and by deflecting it in part to thetreatment of, an oppositely positioned hand.

Finally, it will be noted that the novel arrangement 0! the pairs orconveyor chains 2, 2 and 8, 8, in spaced relation with the provision oicharging means betweenthem greatly facilitates the handling or tobaccohands from the case, in which they are generally arranged. tip to tip09- positely. as shown in Figure 2, for charging the that it is notintended that this invention shall be limited by the above detaileddisclosure, since it is contemplated that in detail may be made It willbe understood.

and desire to protect by Letters be noted thatchains 8, 8 areinrespectively being uperimposed and adapted for them or hands 01tobacco by their butts with their leaf portions tree and extendingtoward each other between the pairs or chains to permit the leavesdeliver air upwardly into the leaves 0! the hands. and a guard securedto and extending between the upper chains or the pairs respectively tolimit their upward movement under the influence of the moving air. y

3. In apparatus for treating tobacco,-in combination, a conveyor formedby spaced pairs of endless chains, reaches of the chains 01 the pairsrespectively being superimposed and adapted for the support between themof hands of tobacco by their butts with their lea! portions tree andextending toward each other between the pairs or chains, a guard securedto and extending between the upper chains of the pairs respectively andmeans for directing Jets 01 air toward the leaf" portions of hands onsaid conveyor in a diand means for directing jets of air towardtherection such as to on said elements by their butts with their leai?portions free and extending laterally between said elements, a guardextending between said elements above the leat portions of the hands andspaced means positioned relative to said elements for delivering jets ofair upwardly at an angle to the leaf portions of the hands, saidv meansfor derelative to said elements.

livering jets positioned respectively being respectively instaggeredrelationship.

.2. In apparatus for treating tobacco, in com bination, a conveyorformed by spaced pairs of endlesschains, reaches 01 the cha s of thepairs file of. this patent:

rection such as to press the guard.

s. In apparatus for treating tobacco, in combination, a conveyor formedby spaced pairs of endless chains, reaches oi! the chains of the pairsrespectively being superimposed and adapted for the support between them01 hands of tobacco by their butts with their leaf portions free andextending toward each other between the pail-Q01 chains to permit theleaves to spread, means to deliver air upwardly intothe leaves of thehands, and a wire mesh secured to and extending between the upper chainsor the pairs respectively to limit their upward movement under theinfluence of themoving air.

5. In apparatus for treating tobacco, in combination, a conveyor formedby spaced pairs oi oi the chains or the pairs I 1 their butts with theirleaf portions tree and extending toward each other between the pairs ofchains, 9. wire meshsecured to and extending be-.

tween the upper chains 0! the pairs respectively lea! portions of handson said conveyor in a diress the leaf portions against the guard. I BUSHD. TOUTON.

nnrnnnncns orrnn The following references are of record in the UNITEDSTATES Number Name Date 2,334,362 Touton Nov. 16, 1943 563,656 CarterJuly '7, 1898 to 1,348,497 Kahn Aug. 3, 1920 1,963,098 Rundell July 31,1984 Bogaty Jan. 5. 1937 to spread, means to

